Poor Topanga, man.

She hasn’t gotten a blog shoutout in a hot minute.

Topanga is our 12yo shihpoo. She’s as cranky & cynical as you can imagine.

But she’s our sourpuss & we love her! Well, Garr & I love her, Lou is tolerant. Mainly because Topanga growls at her every time Lou is within 3 feet. I digress. This pup is in desperate need of a teeth cleaning. They are just…rotting in her head. & her breath! My God, I thought mine was bad. My stank mouth has nothing on Topanga. We’ve finally gotten her in for a teeth cleaning soon & I am just fearful she’s going to lose her mind. Like she’s such an indoor, lazy beast, anytime we break her routine of…nothingness, she freaks. The groomer is an event. This will be nothing short of the worst day of her life.

Honestly, she’ll probably figure out a way to escape the vet so she can find a family with no children to live with.

Time: 45 minutes (prep + cooking) | Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of couscous, uncooked
• 1 package of frozen butternut squash cubes
• 1 package of Brussels sprouts, trimmed + halved
• 1 tbsp of maple syrup
• 2 tsp of yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup of almond milk
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 tbsp of garlic, minced
• Juice of half a lemon
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of crushed red pepper
• S+P, to taste

How to:

• Preheat oven to 400
• In a bowl, combine 1 tbsp of olive oil + maple syrup + mustard + S+P
• Add Brussels sprouts + mix to combine
• Spread on a lined baking sheet in an even layer
• On another baking sheet, arrange butternut squash in an even layer + drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil + S+P
• Roast both for 30 minutes, tossing once in the middle
• Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a pot over medium heat
• Add shallot, cook 2-3 minutes
• Add garlic, cook another minute
• Add couscous + S+P, cook another minute letting toast
• Add water + cook couscous to package directions
• Once squash is done, combine with almond milk in a blender until smooth
• Add to the warm pot with cooked couscous + adjust seasoning to taste, adding red pepper flakes if you’d like
• Stir in lemon juice with the heat turned off
• To serve, scoop some couscous into a bowl + top with crispy Brussels
• I know it’s still sweltering out there, but make a bowl of this + welcome the autumnal vibes

Adapted from here!